by Jayla Jasso
Two guards at the far end of the hallway were already running in her direction, no doubt alerted by the noise of the scuffle. Gerynwid shapeshifted into a blackwolf before they reached her and leapt at them, clawing and biting. She chewed through the neck of the first man who reached her, then pounced on the second, clawing and ripping his limbs apart with her jaws. He screamed, and she silenced him by biting through his vocal cords. She tossed him aside, then bounded down the passageway on all fours, looking in rooms, following a female scent. She found a bedroom and shoved the door open. Empty. She turned and trotted farther down the hall, picking up a different female scent a few doors down. She came to the exact location of the scent and shoved the door open with her shoulder.
A dark-haired girl looked up as the blackwolf form stalked into her room, blood and bits of flesh dripping onto the carpet from her sharp fangs. The girl dashed behind a chair and positioned it between herself and the beast.
“And who might you be?” Gerynwid snarled, pacing along the rug.
“Guards!” the girl screamed.
“They can’t hear you, fool girl. I slew them all,” Gerynwid chuckled, her voice a multi-layered, gravelly growl. “I believe I do recognize you. You’re the younger Stovy sister, are you not? Where’s the queen? Tell me, and I might let you live.”
The girl picked up the chair and pointed its legs toward her. “I don’t know where she is.”
Gerynwid growled, “Do not trifle with me, girl. Tell me where Solange is, or I will rip you to shreds!”
The girl’s eyes widened. “You’re Gerynwid the Shapeshifter, aren’t you? You stole my brother, you evil witch!” She dropped the chair, grabbed a heavy pewter vase from the table behind her, and hurled it with all her strength. Gerynwid leapt out of the way, and the vase clattered loudly against a stone wall.
Gerynwid roared and lunged for her. The girl grabbed the chair and shoved it into her ribcage. Gerynwid clawed viciously at the legs of the chair, then swiped it aside. The girl scrambled backward on all fours, pulling a small table down to block Gerynwid’s next lunge. Gerynwid reached over the table and managed to claw her arm, slicing deeply into her flesh, and the girl screamed in pain.
Something crashed down hard on Gerynwid’s skull from behind; she jerked and fell, sinking into darkness.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Gracie looked up to see Solange standing there holding the neck of the pewter vase in her hands. She tossed the vase aside and helped Gracie up, and they ran, slamming the bedroom door behind them. They raced down the long hallway and shoved open the heavy door at the end.
Cornwall and Nelson drew swords.
“Your Highness?”
“Gerynwid is here,” Solange informed the men between gasps of air, pushing the door closed behind her. “She was in Gracie’s quarters a second ago in the form of a wolf creature. We’ll run to the Great Hall to alert the captain. Stay here and try to block the door, but be careful—she’s already killed Mumford and Glass, maybe others.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Solange grabbed Gracie’s arm and they continued their flight down the passageway and down the stairs into the Great Hall. Gracie cradled her bleeding arm as she ran, trying not to panic.
As they entered the Great Hall, Solange shouted, “Captain Hollweg!”
Hollweg and another guard stepped forward from their post at the main doors. “Here, Your Majesty! What—”
“Gerynwid is inside the castle. Assemble your men.”
Hollweg drew his sword and shouted up to the balconies. “Guards! Protect the queen!”
Men scrambled down the side staircases to the Great Hall and surrounded Solange and Gracie, who stood huddled together in the center of the room.
There was a commotion in the passageway, and then the blackwolf leapt into the room with a growl, bounding down the staircase. When she reached the floor of the Great Hall, her glowing emerald eyes surveyed the group of guards, but before any of moved forward to attack, she shapeshifted into a fifteen-foot-tall dragon.
The dragon spewed fire at the guards, who staggered back a bit before charging forward, swords aimed at her legs. The dragon easily swept them aside with her tail, and they slammed against the stone pillars and walls of the far side of the Great Hall. She breathed fire over them for several seconds, charring them to a black, bloody mess.
Solange’s remaining guards closed up in a tighter circle around her and Gracie, swords outstretched toward the monstrous beast. The dragon stalked forward, breathing out tongues of fire, and cackling.
“Get the queen to safety!” Hollweg shouted, rushing forward to try to drive his sword into the dragon’s belly. The dragon knocked the sword away and grabbed him up in her talons, puncturing his armor in her grip. She flung his body aside, and stalked another step closer to Solange. Logsdon and another guard grabbed her arms and pulled her toward a side door leading out of the hall to escape, and Gracie followed, ducking behind a pillar. The remaining guards formed a human barrier between Solange and the dragon. The dragon leapt over them and blocked Solange’s flight, breathing out flames that caught Solange’s skirt on fire as she ran. She dove to the floor and crawled behind a pillar, rolling over to smother the flames.
The guards charged the dragon with their swords, but the attacks were mostly futile against her stony scales. The dragon fought viciously, crushing them under her feet, squeezing them in her talons, or burning them alive, until only Brockriede was left standing between the queen and the dragon. He crouched low and gripped the hilt of his sword in both fists as the dragon stalked toward them.
Behind him, Solange grabbed a sword off the floor. She scanned the room for any sign of Gracie and saw her peeking out from behind the pillar where she was hiding.
Cornwall burst into the Great Hall, limping and holding his side. “Flee, Your Highness, we’ll slow her down as best we can!”
Solange turned to run. The dragon leapt over Brockriede and landed on top of Solange, crushing her to the ground; she then threw back her head and breathed out a victorious plume of flame along with a bone-chilling, gravelly cackle of laughter. Trapped under her foot, Solange gasped for air and struggled to free herself.
Just then the double doors at the entry of the Great Hall swung open. Jiandra, Yavi, and Yajna stood there with Rafe behind them. Yavi drew his scimitars and Yajna grabbed his bow.
Jiandra saw Solange trapped under the dragon’s massive, clawed foot and held up a hand to stop the twins. “Wait! She’s got the queen!”
They froze, as did Cornwall from behind the dragon.
“Stop, Gerynwid!” Jiandra yelled, drawing her dagger. “Let Solange go, or we attack!”
The dragon fixed its slanted red eyes on Jiandra for a moment, chuckling.
Suddenly, Rafe came out from behind Jiandra and scooped up a dagger from the floor. He ran with it toward the dragon at full speed.
Jiandra’s eyes widened. “Rafe! No!”
The boy leapt onto the dragon’s leg with unnatural agility and quickness, scrambled up its spine to her neck, and used the dagger to slice the palm of his hand open. He smeared the blood over the side of the dragon’s scaly head. She screeched in pain and staggered backward, leaving Solange lying unconscious on the stone floor, then shook her head vigorously, trying to dislodge the boy from her neck.
Rafe jumped down from the dragon’s back and shouted something at her in a strange language. The dragon shrank into Gerynwid’s human form, wailing in rage, her face half burned off. All that was left on that side was red, oozing flesh. She glared at Rafe, then shapeshifted into a plume of smoke that blew up out of the Great Hall and through a second-story window. Once outside, she shapeshifted into the griffon vulture and flew clumsily away, squawking in pain and fury.
Jiandra knelt over Solange. The queen’s arm was crushed and limp, her face, neck, and chest badly lacerated and bloodied. Jiandra touched the her cheek gently, trying to wake her.
“Solange, can you hear me? Oh God
s, Solange…!”
Gracie ran to join her by Solange’s side, sobbing. Her left sleeve was soaked in blood, but before Jiandra could look at it, Cornwall approached.
“I’ll send Brockriede for the royal physician immediately, milady.” He nodded at Brockriede, who took off running toward the front doors.
Solange moaned, struggling to regain consciousness. She coughed, writhing a little, and held her stomach with her good arm.
Jiandra looked up at the twins. “Yajna, Yavi…please carry her to her quarters. Gently.”
They lifted Solange between them, and Jiandra turned to look at her sister’s wounded arm.
Gracie looked around. “Jiandra, where’s Rafe?”
Jiandra glanced behind her. “He was here a second ago. Rafe? Rafe!”
No response.
“Gracie, help Yavi and Yajna find Solange’s quarters, and get someone to wrap your arm. I’ll find Rafe. Go!”
Gracie followed the twins out of the Great Hall, and Jiandra searched for Rafe behind pillars and up in the balconies, calling his name.
Five city guards rushed in through the front doors, swords in hand. Jiandra rushed to meet them. “Did you see a little boy leaving the castle just now?”
“No, milady. Where’s the queen?”
“She’s injured. We took her to her quarters. Brockriede went to fetch a doctor. Help me find the Captain of the Castle Guard.”
A voice spoke up weakly from behind a stone pillar. “Here, milady.”
Jiandra and the guards rushed to Captain Hollweg’s side. He lay in a pool of blood, apparently coming from a wound in his gut. He coughed painfully. Jiandra knelt beside him and touched his shoulder. “Oh, Captain…we’ll have the physician attend to you as soon as possible.”
“No, it’s too late,” he gasped.
“Captain, stay with us, please…we need your help. War is coming to Villeleia. Nandalan forces are crossing the northeastern mountain range. What should I do?”
“Cornwall. Go to him. The men trust him, as does the queen.” He choked and coughed. “Tell him to take over as Captain and to summon General Toledano’s troops to defend Villeleia. Gods be with...” He groaned; his head fell back and his body went limp.
Jiandra hung her head, tears filling her eyes. Then she slowly rose to her feet and addressed the guard patrol standing behind her. “I need one of you to summon Cornwall at once.”
Cornwall was at her side a few moments later, cradling his injured shoulder. He inclined his head to her. “Milady.”
“Hollweg named you Captain of the Castle Guard before he died, and I bring you more distressing news. Villeleia is under attack from the north. Nandala’s Black Armies were marching toward the northern mountain pass a day ago. Yavi and Yajna came back to warn us.”
Cornwall turned to address the guards standing behind him. “Summon General Toledano and all available castle guards to the Great Hall at once. We must send our fastest scout to Caladia, warning Broomfield and Frocklin Grove along the way. Three more messengers should go east, west, and south to warn the villages and cities as well as summon our auxiliary forces to meet us in Caladia. The Royal Army leaves for Caladia tonight.”
#
Rafe, Rafe. Rafe could hear someone calling his name, as if from a long distance away, in both time and space. He huddled under the preparation table in the kitchen, his hands over his ears in an attempt to shut out the demon’s voice that echoed in his head. His eyes burned, and he squeezed them shut tightly, moaning.
“Eh? Someone there?” the cook called from behind the door to the larder. “Is it safe to come out yet?”
“No,” Rafe whispered, rocking back and forth.
“Who’s there?” The cook scanned the room, looking for the source of the noise. She spotted him hiding under the table. “Boy? I see you under there. Is the monster gone?” She ventured out of the larder, then got down on her knees to peer under the table.
Rafe held his hands over his ears, shutting his eyes tightly.
“Boy, are you all right?”
“No,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. He opened his eyes abruptly. The cook yelped and fell back, then scrambled away and fled the kitchen.
#
Jiandra grasped the cook’s arms to halt her flight. “Have you seen a little boy? Eight years old, brown hair?”
“There’s a boy in the kitchen hiding under the table!” the cook stammered. “But something’s wrong with him, milady.”
Jiandra hurried into the kitchen and looked under the table. Rafe was cowering there, hugging his knees to his chest. His eyes glowed with an unearthly red light.
She reached out for him, pulling him toward her by his arms. He crawled out, and she folded him into her embrace, soothing him by stroking his hair and his back.
“Shhh, it’s all right, baby boy. It’s all right.” She pulled his left hand up to look at the laceration he’d made with the dagger. It was sealed together, and there was no bleeding, just an angry red line.
“I can hear the demon’s voice. I can hear him talking to me.”
Jiandra hugged him tighter. “Gerynwid must have done something to cause this when she had you in her tower. But Rafe, you were very brave just now. You saved all our lives and defeated the dragon. I need you to stay here with Solange and Gracie and protect them in case it comes back.”
“Where are you going?” His eyes had changed from the fiery red to their usual bright green color.
“I must help Villeleia fight a battle, dear brother. You stay close to Solange and Gracie for me, do you hear? Protect them from Gerynwid.”
“Yes. I will.”
Yajna appeared in the doorway. “Jiandra?”
“How is Solange? Is she alive?”
“Still breathing, but she’s badly injured. Your sister is injured as well. Did you see her arm?”
She nodded.
“The physician just arrived. We should join them.”
They hurried to Solange’s quarters and found the doctor tending to the queen. Gracie and Yavi stood off to the side, as well as Cornwall. Jiandra moved to Gracie’s side and placed a gentle hand on her back while they waited for the doctor to speak.
“Internal injuries,” he muttered. “It’s serious.”
Jiandra motioned Cornwall, Yajna and Yavi to follow her to the door, and the four of them stepped outside the room. Jiandra shut the door softly behind them.
“Cornwall, how bad is your injury?”
“It’s just my shoulder, milady. I will ask the doctor to bandage and wrap it before he leaves. I can still attend to my duties.”
“What’s the status of the Royal Army?”
“They should be assembling at Kingston’s north gate soon. They will leave by nightfall.”
“Good. The Zulfikar brothers and I wish to aid them in the fight.”
“Very good. Your help is welcome,” Cornwall said to Yavi and Yajna.
“Before we leave for Caladia, I want to go to Zafira,” Jiandra told the twins. “She may have some additional medicine or healing for Solange that the doctor does not use. Also, I need to speak to my brother Elio at our farm.”
Yajna took her hand. “I will go with you.”
“Yavi, would you stay here with Solange and my younger siblings, to help stand guard?”
Yavi nodded.
Jiandra turned back to Cornwall. “We’ll return in a couple of hours. Stay on your guard. I don’t know what Gerynwid’s next move will be, but keep my brother Rafe close by the queen in case she returns. You saw it—he performed some kind of blood magic that defeated her. Perhaps he would be able to defeat her again.”
Cornwall nodded. “Yes, milady.”
#
Jiandra and Yajna dismounted in front of Zafira’s cottage as she opened the door to greet them.
“Come in, Jiandra. You bring the other Zulfikar brother this time.”
“Yes, my friend.” Jiandra took Zafira’s hands in hers.
“Come in,
both of you.”
Yajna ducked his head to follow the two women inside.
Zafira motioned him to a seat at the table, and pulled out a chair for Jiandra as well. “I see you are using the leather armor I gave you.”
“Yes, and I owe you my thanks. This suit has been invaluable.”
“You are here because the queen is in danger. What has happened?”
“Solange is badly injured. I have come to ask if you might go with us to Castle Villeleia and try to heal her. She was attacked by Gerynwid the Shapeshifter.”
“Yes, I will go. But I see that you still have a hard battle before you, Jiandra, you and the twins of Zulfikar. Let me serve you a tea to restore your strength, since there will be little rest for you in the next few days. I saw you coming and prepared it in advance. Shirali!” she called over her shoulder, rising to her feet.
Shirali appeared from the back room, her children peeping out from behind her. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jiandra. Jiandra rose to her feet to embrace the young woman and then stooped to give each of the children a warm hug.
“How are you, my friend?” Jiandra smiled.
“Miss Jiandra, it is so good to see you safe and well!”
“You too, my dear friend. As soon as we rebuild the cottage, you can come back to Stovy Farm, if Zafira agrees to part with you.”
Zafira poured tea into two cups. “She has been a big help in gathering herbs and preparing medicines.”
Shirali grabbed the children’s hands. “Come, let’s leave them to their visit.” They retreated to the back room and closed the door.
Zafira served two cups of tea. “Drink this. It will lend courage and strength. I will gather my things.”
Jiandra sipped. It tasted like cranberries mixed with tree bark, bitter and astringent. “Zafira, I want to visit Zehu and ask for his help. I’ll return in a quarter of an hour. Yajna, will you wait here for me?”
